Telbivudine
Telbivudine is an antiviral drug used in the treatment of hepatitis B infection. It is marketed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis under the trade names Sebivo and Tyzeka. Clinical trials have shown it to be significantly more effective than lamivudine or adefovir, and less likely to cause resistance. However, HBV signature resistance mutation M204I or L180M+M204V have been associated with Telbivudine resistance.
Telbivudine is a synthetic thymidine β-L-nucleoside analogue; it is the L-isomer of thymidine. Telbivudine impairs hepatitis B virus DNA replication by leading to chain termination. It differs from the natural nucleotide only with respect to the location of the sugar and base moieties, taking on an levorotatory configuration versus a dextrorotatory configuration as do the natural deoxynucleosides. It is taken orally in a dose of 600 mg once daily with or without food.
